The Fever 333 Destroys at The Bourbon Theatre

The Fever 333 put on one of the craziest live shows I’ve ever seen Wednesday night (5/23) at The Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln. There couldn’t have been more than 100 people in attendance, but none of that mattered, the band played as if they were in an arena. They gave off so much energy, jumping around, climbing the walls, and even doing front flips at one point in the set.

If The Fever 333 is playing anywhere within a 3-hour road trip I can definitely say it is worth your time and effort to be there. I’ve been to over 150 shows over the last 20 years and I can tell you that this one definitely ranks toward the top. The Fever 333 is a force to be reckoned with, and they’re only going to get bigger from here. On my way to the show, I was thrilled to hear the new single “Walking in My Shoes” on my local station 89.7 The RIver!

While I was waiting for the show to begin, I spoke with several folks to try and get a feel for how The Fever 333’s fanbase is growing. I was surprised to learn several fans followed Jason Aalon Butler from his previous band LetLive and were excited about his new project. Many fans actually said they had seen LetLive at the Bourbon Theatre in the past. One fan I spoke to Jamie, was a big fan of LetLive and was devastated when they broke up. She said she was really excited when she learned about The Fever 333 though and would be seeing them not once, but twice as she’s going to the show in Omaha on 5/24 with The Used. I let her know that I would be there as well!

I was surprised to see some really young fans in the crowd. Dedrich and Katori couldn’t have been older than six! They were there with their mom and said it was their first show. They drove down from Minneapolis to pick up some rescue dogs and decided to see The Fever 333 while they were in town. I asked if they were excited to hear some loud rock music and they both had the biggest smiles.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Cindy, one of the coolest fans I’ve talked to in a while. She was in her late 50s or early 60s. She said she works as a school photographer six months out of the year, so she has the other six months free to travel around and go to rock shows, how cool is that! She showed me her 106.4 The Blaze tattoo. She said the tattoo was over 25 years old. I’ll admit that it did look a little faded, but her spirit was so alive! She told me she recently saw Stone Temple Pilots at Rock on the Range. I tried to one-up her and said: “I saw STP when Scott was still with us”. Not to be outdone she said,” Oh I’ve seen them many times throughout the years, I just thought the new singer did a great job!” Man, you can’t get one over on Cindy! We traded stories of all the shows we’ve been to and I wasn’t surprised to learn that our paths had crossed many times before. Next time I’m at a show I’ll definitely have my eyes peeled for you, Cindy!

Before I knew it, was almost time for the show. I made my way to the front of the stage as the lights were starting to dim. A large white sheet hung from the ceiling and a man in a black hood stood in front of it. A wave of bass and a news anchor’s voice came over the speakers. “Hate groups have started to emerge from the shadows to join forces”. Flashes of Donald Trump appeared “We need to ban all Muslim countries from emigrating to the United States”. There were a few boos heard from the back of the room. The news anchor said, “The number 333 is starting to appear everywhere and the fever is spreading”. The curtain dropped to reveal the incredible Fever 333.

The band opened with the track “Burn It” and lead Singer Jason Aalon Butler ran around the stage like a man possessed, jumping off the monitors, throwing the microphone, and even writhing on the floor as he shouted the band’s fast paced vocals.

After “Burn It” came the super heavy track “We’re Coming In”. “We’re coming in! We’re gonna take you out, we’re gonna take you out!” the band shouted in unison. As I looked around there were quite a few people singing along.

About halfway through the set, things really started to pick up speed with the track “Soul’ed Me Out”. Singer Jason said, “This is a punk rock song so you can start the circle pit now”. As I mentioned above, there were really only about 100 people in attendance so the circle pit was a bit small. Jason jumped off the stage and starts whipping the crowd into a frenzy! I commented to my wife Virginia, “He’s starting his own circle pit!” “This band is insane!”.

After working his way to the center of the pit Jason asked everyone to get real low. As the song kicked in everyone jumped to their feet in celebration. It was so much fun.

As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, The Fever 333 is trying to start a movement beyond just playing music. They have partnered with local charities on each stop of their tour to spread a message of community, charity, and change (hence the three Cs) or 333. At the show in Lincoln, The Action Network was on hand to talk about poverty and ways that you can help combat poverty in your own backyard! They had a small publication featuring The Fever 333. It was great to see the band working in unison with our local charities.

As the set slowed down just a touch Jason told the audience that he recently became a father to a baby boy.

“When I go into my son’s room and I look into his eyes, I see the future, something bigger than myself. Please make decisions that are going to positively impact my son and the next generation. We’re not here to tell you what to think, but we are here to make you think”

After Jason’s heartfelt speech, the band continued to rip through their set at blistering speeds. The final song “Hunting Season” was absolutely insane! As the song came to a close, Jason and Aric started taking apart the drum kit and hauling it up a small set of stairs on the side of the stage. As they got to the top of the stairs, they proceeded to play out the last 30 seconds of the song from on top of the tiny platform!

The band thanked Lincoln for all of the love and support and said they couldn’t wait to come back and see everyone again. “You guys were the first in Lincoln to see The Fever 333! When we come back you can tell everyone you were part of a very special group that came out and supported us when we were at the very beginning!”

Oh, believe me, Jason, to quote the band Cake “I have the t-shirt that proves I was there, that I heard of them first.”

Make sure to check back tomorrow (5-25) for another article featuring The Fever 333, Red Sun Rising, and The Used.

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